Telautograph or facsimile-telegraph.



No. 660,199. Patented Oct. 23, 900. A. POLLAK. TELAUTOGRAPH OR FACSIIILE TELEGRAPH (lppliafwn 310d In, 85, 18m

2 Shah-Shut I.

(In Idol.)

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTON POLLAK, OF SZENTES, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRIEDRICH SILBERSTEIN, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

srncmcanon formingpm of Letters Patent No. 660.199, (11M October 23, 1900.

Application filed In 25, 1898. Serial lo. 681,729. (lie model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTON POLLAK, merchant, of'Szentes, Hungary, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain newand usefullmprovemcntsin Telautographsor Facsimile-Telegraphs and Idoherebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it apper- I tains to make and use the same, reference being had to the acconipanying'drawings, and to letters and figures of reference marked the eon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is the forwardt5 ing of despatches in a form corresponding exactly with the original and at a speed which is at least equal to and which may even exceed that of the present electric telegraph. The idea of delivering despatches in a form 2 corresponding to that of the original is not new. 'lhesuhje'ctinitselfissoimportantthat it would be a matter of astonishmentif the carrying out of this idea had not already formed the subject of research. The'apparatus her'e- A tofore constructed for this purpose have, however, not been approved in practice. \Vhile the so-called oopyi ng-telegraphs actually give a copy of the despatch corresponding with the original, the construction of these 3 apparatus is complicated, and they work so slowly that they do not comply with the requirements of practical life. Moreover, the

t telegram to be transmitted must be written on paper of a particular kind and with a specialkind of ink, which, disregarding other circumstances, prevents the general use of these apparatus. In contradistinction to these the apparatus invented by me attacks and solves the problem from quite a di lferent .4 standpoint. In my apparatus a true photographic reproduction of the telegram sent out from the transmitting-statioz': is produced at the receiving-station, where it can be immediately delivered to the addressee. The construction of the apparatus is very simple and the method of operation is quite automatic, so that only a small working staff is necessary. The principle of the apparatus is, shortly stated, as follows: The picture of the despatch is projected in asuitable manner onto a series of selenium cells or cells of other sub stances the electrical resistance of which rises and falls in accordance with t-heillumination thereof. Through the cells is successively passed a current of a certain strength from a suitable source of electricity. This current, according to thegreateror less illumination of such cells, (which will hereinafter be referred to as selenium cells,) experiences a lesser or greater resistance, and'therefore leaves the cell as a current of greater or less strength and is so conducted to the receiving-station. Here. the current passes through'the windings of one or more telephone-like apparatus the diaphragm or diaphragms of which are set in vibration in accordance with the strength of the current supplied, which vibrations can be used in various'ways, so that a strip of film or paper which is sensitive to light and r is continuously fed forward in a dark or closed chamber can be correspondingly lighted thereby in exact accordance with the varying illumination of the selenium cells, and in this manner a photograph of the telegram projected on' the selenium cells is produced. One has merely to take care that at the transmitting-station the single points of the despatch act successively upon the selenium cells at a suitable speed and that the vibra- 8o tions of the telephone diaphragm or diaphragms are transmitted in a suitable mannor to a film or paper which is sensitive to light by the aid of a source of light in order to obtain an exact copy of each single point of the despatch, and therefore a copy of the whole despatc'n.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a view, partlyin section and partly in elevation, showing the entire device, consisting of a transmitting and ameceiving up paratus. Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1, partly in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the telephone apparatus. Fi 4 is a similar view of the end thereof. Fig. 5 is a plan viewshowing separately the means for mounting the reflector, and Pi". 6 is a perspective View of a detail.

I will first describe the transmitting apparatus, which is shown at the 1;; in Figs. 1 re and 2.

On the rotary wheel or disk K at the trans- C as a cylinder-lens.

Title-third the cylinder-lens expands said pointto subphotograph to be niitting-station Tr are arranged the manuscripts. a hot the despatches. The source of light L is in the interior of the wheel if the despatchesarewrittenou a transparent sheet, while the ill umination is effected from theexterior if they are written on ordinary paper.

In the box 13 is arranged a series of selenium cells 1 2 3. The light issuing from the wheel Ki passes through the cylindrical convex lens to the selenium cells. The nu mber and size of such cells is varied according to circumstances. Their size m us:- be such that they possess sufiicient sensitiveness and that their resistance shall be of suitable amount. Assuming that cells of 2 x 2":4 are emplvyed,,the despatch to be transmitted should be written on paper seventy millimeters broad and each point one-third of amillimeterlarge of the despatch should fall on one cell, so that the magnifying p ower of the lens must be such that the image of each point of the despatch of one-third of a millimeter diameter shall cover one cell. In the case taken, therefore, the nu mberof cells employed won 1d equal the number-of times one-third of a millimeter is contained in seventy millimeters, or two hundred and ten cells. The unit of one-third of a millimeter is chosen on the basis that the several points thereof shall not exceed a maximum size of one-third ot'a millimeter diameter, since the clearness of the produced requires that this size should not be materially exceeded. The several series of points of the photograph should likewise be ata maximum distance of one-third of a millimeter apart. In consequence of this the wheel K must turn through one-third of a millimeter during the time a,

series of points comes into position for. projection on the cells. It is obvious, however, that the apparatus can be adjusted to different units-as, for example, one-fourth of anillimet.er--in whichcase a correspondinglylarger number of cells will be required. It has, moreover, been found that the trustworthy operationof selenium cells depends, essentially, on their size, and by my 1.". vention I therefore efiect the illumination thereof in such manner that a large surface of each cell can be illuminated without employing an apparatus of large or bulky construction. This is attained by forming the convex lens In this manner, taking the breadth of the selenium-cells as two millizeetcrs, each point of the despatch can be of a millimeter in diameter, while stantially the length and breadth of a cell. If desired, the lens may be so formed as toexpand the point in one direction only or two lenses may be employed. By reason of the larger dimensions of the cell its resistance is red need and the sensitiveness increased, thus making the operation more trustworthy.

The wheel K is in connection through the gearing and shaft 1- t with one end of an arm k, which is made of conducting material, and

big dot will be made upon such film.

with the driving-gear s. At the otherentl of the arm 7:. is the brush g. This brush moves .in a circle along the contact-pieces 1' 2' 3 of the commutator A. Each of, the contactpieces is electrically connected to one of the selenium cells. The commutator is prel'en ably constructed in such a manner thataseries'of contact-pieces l 2' 3, corresponding in nu m her with the selenium cells, isarra-nged on the inner edge or surface of acircular ring made of insulating material, each of these oontactpieces being electrically connected to a' cell. The current passes through the shaft t and arm is to the brush gfroui asource of'current X through said cellsin succession. The arm 70, with, the brush g, is moved by means ofthe driving-gear saround the inner circular surface of the ring of the commutator A, whereby the current is conducted in.

turn to each of the selenium cells. The gearwheels 0' r are so proportioned -hatthewheel K turns through one-third of a millimeter while the arm 7; makes one complete revolution and brush 9 in its circular path touches the entire series of the contact-pieces, so that the current passes successively through each of the entire series of cells. Each of the conductingwires extending from the contact pieces 1' 2' 3 leads to a corresponding selenium cell 1 2 3, from which conducting-wires again extend, which unite together at i to form the conductor 1). leads'as a line-wire to the receiving-station Re. It will be seen that in effect the despatch or writing is divided by close parallel crosslines and each such line is'subdivided intoa succession of dots or points and that each dot or point is caused to vary the illumination of one cell, the electrical resistance of which is thereby atfected, and this variance causes a corresponding variance of the electrical current passing through each cell and along the common conductor c to the receiving-station, The variations of this current are utilized bymyinventiou to reproduce the original de'spatch in its exact form, and Iwill now describe the apparatus for eflecting this result, which is shown to the right in Figs. 1 and 2.

The current from the transmitting-station isled to the receiving apparatus preferably through a single conductor 1: and is caused to control the passage of arayor rays of light onto a sensitized film in such manner that for each dot or pointof the despatch a correspgndt is obvious that a successionof such dots will form a line corresponding with a line of the despatch. The current from the selenium cells 1 2 8 is passed to the telephone-like apparatus a by means of the conductor '0, and the diaphragm b of the said telephone is set in vibrations corresponding to the differing strengths of' the current. To the diaphragm b of the telephone is secured one end of a rod 0, While to the other end thereof is secured a reflector d in such manner that it'can swing This conductor 'v I in a vertical plane. An arm e is secured at of the reflector.

one end to the reflector and at the other end to the sheli of the telephone and both axes of rotation are parallel to the axis of oscillation In Figs. 3-, 4, and 5 is shown in detail" the construction of the telephonelike apparatus. Upon the frame ai of the diaphragm b of the telephone is secured a trans verse support 11 having two pointed screws 0 carrying'betweeu them ash-aft e. Said shaft is provided with a fork-shaped projection e embracing a rod-c and connected with it by means of a pin f. x The other end of the rod 0' is connected with the diaphragm b of the telephone. If now the membrane is v5- brated, as indicated by arrows, its movements ar'etransferred to the shaft e in such manner that it is turned alternately in the one and the other direction, and as the reflector (1' is secured to the shaft it partakes of the vibrations of the diaphragm and deflects correspondingly the ray of light falling upon it. On the reflector is now projected, by means of a source of lightL and a screen, the image of a point or, preferably, of a three-cornered aperture, (shown in Fig. 6,) which is reflected from the reflector in a vertical plane in a direction corresponding to the position thereof for the tiniebeing.

In order that the ray or pencil of rays refle cted from the reflector cl may be given a horizontal movement to bring it along the whole length of a slit in a dark chamber R, to be described, it is subjected before itreaches said dark chamber to a further reflection by means of a polygonal mirror It. This polygonal mirror moves synchronously with the brush g of the commutator A in such a manner that while the mirror h makes one revolution on its axis the brush of the commutator makes as many revolutions as said mirror has sides. The images of the variations in current strength during one revolution of the cominutaior-brush-that is to say, the combined points of a section of the original picture or of the despatch are therefore each reflected by one side 0:' the mirror in such a manner that by reason of the rotation of said mirror the pencil of rays reflected on the slit of the dark chamber is led along the whole length thereof while the arm K of the commutator makes one revolution. At the beginning of the next revolution of the commutator-arm, however,- the next following side of the polygonal mirror begins to reflect and again throws the pencil of rays along'the slit. The reflected pencil of light-rays fa'lls on the dark chamber R in such a manner that the pointthereoflwhich, as before stated, prefhind the slit of said dark chamber. The move ments of the point of light which are reflected through the slit .2 on the sensitized film correspond with the strength of the current passing th rough the telephone. In this mannor an image of the corresponding point or points of the despatch arranged on the wheel K at the transmitting-station is produced, and as the film moves forward one-third of a millimeterthe next row of points is registered,-

this former case with the construction of apparatus shown the cells are normally light, the reflectoris normally held attracted by its magnet, and the beam of light may he led across the chamber R below the slit 2. Hence when a dark cell is in circuit the reflector is less strongly attracted and accordingly moves toraise the beam into the slit. lVhen the message is written upon opaque paper, the

cells are normally dark, and the beamof light 2 3", the line normally described by the beamof light when moving below or above the slit will be approximately straight, being varied to enter the slit whenever a pointis to be reproduced. If the circuit is made and broken atevery contact, however, such line will be wavy, but only such curves as are caused by the current through the cells affected by the message will have suificient amplitude toenter the slit. After the film H has been exposed it passes downward into the receptacles H, H and H which contain the fluids successively used for developing, fixing, and washing photograhic pictures. It may then be removed and delivered to the addressee.

The cells herein described as selenium cells may, as before stated, he of any substance whose electrical resistance is altered or varied by its illumination, any such substance being an equivalent of selenium.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. A facsimile-telegraph comprising a plurality of selenium cells, means for projecting an image on such cells, thereby varying their degree of illumination and electrical resistance, a conductor in circuit with said cells,

means for sending current impulses over said conductor through said cells successively, and- "areceiving instrument comprising means for- -ance',aconductor in circuit with each of saidcellsand the recei-ving-station, means for sending current impulses over said conductor through said cells successively, an elecf rnagnet at the receiving-station adapted cessive disconnected lines.

4. In receiving apparatus for facsimile-telegraphing, a source of light, means controlled by the transmitted current, for reflecting a ray of light vertically and means independentof the current for reflecting said ray horizontally.

5. In receiving apparatus for facsimile-tele- I graphing, a source'of light, an electromagnct,

a reflector vibrated by said magnet, and a rotating mirror, said reflect-or and mirror adapted to vary the direction of a ray of light vertically and horizontally.

6. In receiving apparatus for facsimile-telegraphing, a source of light, a box having a narrow opening, and carrying a sensitized film, a mirror reflecting a pencil of light in horizontal direction along said opening, a refiectorjvibrated by current impulses from the transmitting-station,and reflecting said pencil in vertical direction, whereby said beam enterssaid opening and strilges said film at intervals varying with the said current impulses.-

' 7.. In"facsimile-telegraphs, a transmitting apparatus comprising a moving despatch-carrier, a plurality of selenium cells, and a commutator having contact-pieces in connection with the respective cells, in combination with a receiving apparatus comprising a sensitized filininoving in synchronism with said despatoh-carrier, a mirror moving in synchronisinwith said commutator, an electromagnet,

energized by the eminent from said transmit- ;ting- -apparatus, and a reflector vibrated by said magnet, adapted to re ect a ray of light on said mirror, which in turn reflectssaid 'ray upon and off said strip, as said mirror is vibrated. A

I 8 In facsimile-telegraphs, a transmitting apparatus comprisinga moving despatch-carrier, a plurality of selenium cells, a line coni Y scones ductor, a commutator having contact-pieces each of which is in connection with one of said cells, and which acts to direct current impulses through said cells in succession, in combination with a receiving instrument, comprising means for moving a. sensitive strip, a mirror moving-in synchronism with said commutator, an electromagnet energized by said impulses, and a reflector vibrated by said magnet which throws a ray of light on said mirror, said mirror and reflector being adapted to vary the direction of said ray of light vertically and horizontally, whereby said rayof light is directed on said strip during vibration of said reflector, and when so directed it strikes said sensitive strip, whereby upon continuous movement of the appsratus the successive dots will prod nce on said strip a tracing In exact accordance with the despatch carried by said carrier.

9 A transmitting, instrument for a facsimile-telegraph, comprising a series of parallel elongated selenium cells, a source of light, means for moving the matter to be transmitted between said source of light and said cells, and an interposed cylinder-lens arranged to concentrate the light upon said cells in the form of elongated lines of light extending parallel with the cells. v

10. In facsiinile-telegraphs, a transmitting apparatus comprising a moving despatclrcar rier, a pluralityof selenium cells, a line conductor, and means for directing current impulses through said cells in succession.

11. In facsimile-telegraphs, a transmitting apparatus comprising a moving despatch-carrier, a plurality of selenium cells, a line conductor,'and a commutator having contact: pieces each of which is in connection with one of said cells, and which acts to direct current impulses through said cells in succession.

12. A transmitting instrument forafacsirnile-te1egraph comprising a series of parallel elongated selenium cells, a line conductor connected to each of said cells, a source of light, means for moving the matter to be transmitted between said source of light and said cells, and means for directing current impulses through said cells in succession.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. ANTON POLLAK.

lVitnesses: I

SIGMUND BERNAUER'I, EDMUND Gnnsrsn. 

